I simply love skiing in Europe’s Alps, and I’ve had my greatest, most memorable winter adventures exploring this lofty, rugged mountain range that spans the heart of Europe.
One of my favorite areas, and perhaps the most famous ski destination in the Alps, is Switzerland’s Zermatt. This storybook, car-free village is nestled in a small valley at the base of the Matterhorn, the iconic 14,692-foot, hooked-shaped Alpine crag that looms mystically over a rugged snow-draped landscape.
Zermatt’s out-of-this-world Alpine scenery and cherished Swiss winter traditions makes this remote spot an absolute must for any skier or snowboarder who loves to travel.
Located in the southernmost edge of Switzerland on the border with Italy, Zermatt lies at the end of a long Alpine valley at an elevation of 5,310 feet. The village is surrounded on three sides by dense forests and steep rock faces. Higher up are massive glaciers and a circle of 13,000-foot peaks, more than anywhere else in the Alps. The highest point you can reach by cable car is the Klein Matterhorn (“little” Matterhorn), which at 12,800 feet is the highest lift-accessed run in Europe. From here you can actually ski or ride across the border to Italy’s Cervinia ski resort, enjoy a lunch of fantastic Italian food, and take cable cars back up to Zermatt (but be sure to time your day based on the lift closing times so you are not stranded in Italy.)
Zermatt’s lifts, gondolas and charming funicular, cog and cable railways access the resort’s ski runs, mid-mountain hotels and restaurants. Overall, skiers and riders have a whopping 360 kilometers of piste (ski runs) and 74 lifts in four main regions: Sunnegga, Gornergrat, Klein Matterhorn, and Schwarzsee — enough for days of skiing and snowboarding thrills here in this snow- and ice-covered roof of the world. From almost every vantage point, the mighty Matterhorn dominates the skyline, its mood changing with the light and weather.
Our Zermatt adventure started with runs in the Sunnegga-Blauherd-Rothorn (7,513 feet) region, served by an underground cable railway. Ski lifts here reach the Unterothorn at 10,170 feet. Fast cruising descents down wide pistes provided hours of entertainment before we headed on to the more wide-open spaces of the Gornergrat-Hohtälli-Stockhorn area, served by a cog railway — the Gornergratbahn.
One highlight of our Zermatt skiing experience was the Klein Matterhorn, which is reached by a series of cable cars. In clear weather, you exit a tunnel carved in the rock, then climb a set of metal stairs to a platform for majestic Alpine views that are among the most breathtaking of any ski resort in the world.
From the Klein Matterhorn you can make the long (22-kilometer), but relatively easy, cross-border glacier run to Cervinia in Italy (don’t forget your passport). But before you go, be sure to check out the unusual “Matterhorn Glacier Palace,” a fairytale complex of rooms and tunnels carved by ice artists into the glacier.
Part of any classic Swiss Alpine ski experience is to pause midday and indulge in hearty local mountain food: bratwurst, beer, rosti and raclette at dozens of on-slope eateries. There’s even a mid-mountain ice bar and snow hotel called the Iglu-Dorf where you can sip “gluhwein,” a classic mulled wine libation, eat fondue and even spend the night in a snow chamber, if you’re part polar bear!
Charming ski-in, mid-mountain eateries such as the Flualp (in the Sunnegga-Blauherd-Rothorn ski region) with its wide deck and amazing views and Chez Vrony, set in an old farmhouse in the rustic mountain hamlet of Findeln, add traditional Valais Alpine culinary touches to this amazing winter experience.
Family-run, Chez Vrony is among a few local restaurants that still produce their own organic products. The dry-cured meat, the homemade sausage and Alpine cheese are all made with traditional recipes that have have been passed down from generation to generation.
Skiers and snowboarders have dozens of mid-mountain dining choices in Zermatt and, no matter where you choose, there’s nothing like enjoying traditional Swiss Alps fare while taking in the views of the surrounding mountain peaks and ski slopes during the ski day.
The greatest ski run on Earth
Perhaps the greatest tram-accessed, backcountry ski run in the world starts high above Chamonix, the famed ski village nestled deep in the French Alps. Chamonix has some of the most vaunted and varied ski terrain in the world, and this 13-mile wilderness adventure through a glaciated valley known as the Vallée Blanche (White Valley) is the descent of a lifetime, and the longest glacier run in the world.
A 60-passenger téléphérique, the highest gondola in Europe, transports you in two stages to the summit of the needlelike Aiguille du Midi, a granite spire soaring some 12,605 feet above sea level. The scenery on the ride up is breathtaking: impossibly steep cliffs, frozen waterfalls, massive granite peaks, the distant villages nestled in the valley below. But for the skiers and snowboarders onboard the gondola, these dramatic views are just the beginning of an unforgettable backcountry ride.
Exiting into the thin, cold air at the summit, our group, led by an expert guide from Chamonix’s esteemed Compagnie des Guides, took a quick elevator ride to the station’s observing platform.
The top of the Aiguille serves up stunning views of three countries — France, Italy, and Switzerland — and the glacier-wrapped king of Alpine peaks, Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe at 15,750 feet.
From this aerie we also got a preview of our next, hair-raising stage in the Vallée Blanche adventure: a descent on foot and with our gear, down a steep arête — a knife-edged ridgeline of snow and ice, and the only way to access the glacier run.
We watched a silhouetted line of skiers and snowboarders — gear slung across their backs and shoulders — slowly making their way down the ridge, backdropped by the vast panorama of the snowy Alps. On one side of the ridge, the face plunged nearly vertically for thousands of feet to the valley floor; on the other side, a massive snowfield covered the glaciers of the Vallée Blanche, spreading out like a giant white fan.
Gathering our skis and snowboards, we roped together for safety and started our descent along the arête, following some of the hundreds of skiers who take on the Vallée Blanche each day. Carefully picking our way down a series of well-trodden steps carved in the snow, we reached the start of our epic 9,200-foot vertical ski run back to Chamonix and an afternoon of pure backcountry bliss in the heart of Europe’s Alps.
Vallée Blanche skiers and snowboarders can choose from a number of established routes. We opted for the standard path across the ice-jumbled Glacier du Tacul, which merges with the mighty Mer de Glace, France’s largest glacier. Dangers abound here, which is why hiring a guide is highly recommended. Massive rockfalls, avalanche chutes, and seemingly bottomless crevasses menace the route. At one point, we negotiated a steep jumble of car-size ice blocks known as the Séracs de Géants, a difficult maze known to stymie even the most experienced skiers and riders.
At one point, before tackling the séracs and a traditional Savoyarde lunch at the charming Refuge du Requin mountain hut located just below the glacial steps, our guide brought us off the main track to a narrow opening in the glacier. “We’re going in there,” he said with a Gallic smirk. We followed him into the ice, hands slipping along a tunnel made of porcelain-blue ice walls. As we went deeper into the glacier, the sun disappeared and we slid along the narrow track in near darkness. Exiting the ice tunnel, we were exhilarated by this total body immersion in Chamonix’s magical world of rock, ice, and snow. To say the least, skiing the Vallée Blanche was a thrill that will last a lifetime.
Essential Alpine info
Due to the rigors and very real dangers of the Vallee Blanche route (crevasses, glacial steps, sheer drops), most skiers and snowboarders hire expert guides from the esteemed Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix, a winter and summer service founded in 1821. Details: chamonix-guides.com
Ski conditions in Chamonix and Zermatt are typically best from February through April. For further information on Chamonix and Zermatt, see chamonix.com and zermatt.ch